Home-Musical

To celebrate its 10th anniversary in 1994, the Reconciling Congregation Program (now Reconciling Ministries Network) commissioned Tim McGinley to compose an original musical drama. Tim composed a mass setting expounding upon the theme of the church being home for everyone, which was overlaid with a parable based upon the Peter and Cornelius story in Acts 10-11. HOME: The Parable of Beatrice and Neal was originally performed by a troupe of six performers and a support team during a ten-city, two-week Midwest tour that summer. The performances had a profound impact upon the lives of audience members and congregations. McGinley made some revisions to the score and arranged additional performances over the next couple years, including at the 1995 convocation.

In the years that followed, I weaved together many of the HOME songs into a worship service to mark Reconciling or Pride Sunday in different congregations where I served as minister of music. These were dramatic and powerful worship experiences. I think these songs continue to speak meaningfully to theological, ecclesiastical and LGBTQ equality issues—even 30 years later. While I carry a passion for the HOME songs in a worship setting, they have been essentially forgotten.

Therefore, I am leading an effort to enable the RMN movement to rediscover Tim McGinley’s HOME music. A diverse choir of singers from the Chicago area will perform a HOME worship service to open RMN's national convocation in Madison, Wisconsin on Friday, July 25th at 2:00 p.m. We will also bring this music to Northern Illinois congregations as well as raise some funds to help defray the costs to get singers to Madison in two preview worship performances: 1) on Sunday, June 22nd, at 6:00 p.m. at Trinity UMC in Mt. Prospect; and 2) on Sunday, July 13th, at 6:00 p.m. at Broadway UMC Chicago. Interested singers are invited to an information session on Saturday, May 10th at 10:00 a.m. at First UMC Park Ridge to sing through the songs and work out rehearsal and preparation plans.

Below is a list of the HOME songs that will be performed with downloadable copies of music, as well as recordings from the original cast production.

ALL SINGERS interested in being part of this HOME choir for the RMN convocation are invited to contact me. Spread the word to other singers you know. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions or suggestions.

Can this be home for everyone who needs a place?
Home, a place where all can share in grace?
When our doors and arms are open wide to all,
when each one of us is free to heed God’s call,
this will be home. We’ll all be home.

Mark Bowman 773-316-8892 markleby01@gmail.com

Join me for an information and reading session
Saturday, May 10th, 2025 10:00am

First UMC, Park Ridge, IL